Slowburner

The Plough Inn, Whitecross Road,
Hereford : Sat, 9th June 2007

New
Age CREAM – that’s Slowburner,
inventive, professional and truly inspirational. This four piece Blues/Rock Band
rocked the Plough in Hereford much to the delight of the sixty or so people who
turned up to see real music. The
plough, once a bastion of Blues and R & B but lately in sad decline has made
amends with this gig – and a few more friends as well!

The gig boasted tracks from the soon to be released new CD
“Heart Turns Cold” and some from the “One Track Pony” CD. My picks of the night
were Reptile, Shivering and Shaking, both penned by the band, and a version of
Ida Cox/Humble Pie’s 4 Day Creep. Stormy Monday made an appearance as did
Messing with the Kid. A surreptitious glance around the room found an enthused
crowd boiling with excitement – this was R & B for the twenty-first century; a
move ahead of the traditional Blues sound. I closed my eyes for a second or two
and boy was this good stuff! Paul Bridgewater’s voice must be one of the most
underrated in the rock business, his range, interpretation and delivery are
exceptional, matching the guitar work of Mike Bannister – shades of SRV, Hendrix
and some notable original style and slide execution. The rhythm section of Colin
Edmonds – drums, and Rob Newell – bass guitar balanced the act to perfection.

Having shared the billing with the likes of Ten Years After,
Dr Feelgood, Nine Below Zero, Gillan, Peter Green and Stan Webb it surely can’t
be too long before a major breakthrough occurs for this band.

The crowd were baying for more and Slowburner were not going
to go home early, four encores, good grace from the Landlord and an exceptional
gig was enjoyed by all.